Leonard Chien

An English-Chinese interpreter and translator in Taiwan. My blog at: back from the world

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Latest posts by Leonard Chien

Taiwan: Books, Writers & Videos

  25 January 2009

China Times in Taiwan announces "Books of the Year" and makes short videos for awarded writers to share their writing experiences and perspectives. Hopefully their ideas will be portrayed through the power of images.

New Zealand: Time for Change As Well?

  9 November 2008

On November 8, New Zealand held a general election with opposition coalition winning a majority in Parliament. Is this a time for change? Bloggers have different opinions.

SketchPAN: World without Words

  30 October 2008

SketchPAN, a service from Korea, aims to create a easy platform for people to express themselves with paintings. In the world without words, language is no longer a barrier for users around the globe.

Five Minutes to Midnight: Let the Youth Be Heard

  17 September 2008

Since June 2003, Five Minutes to Midnight (FMM), a non-profit organization, has been trying to give youth's a voice on human rights and international issues, especially in developing countries. Leonard Chien has the chance to talk to Wojciech Gryc, FMM founder and director, about its past, future and views towards online tools.

Taiwan: Bridging Digital Divide with Puncar

  2 June 2008

Since May 2008, Puncar project has visited several rural villages and tribes around Taiwan, teaching young and old, men and women about using blogs, online tools and applications to bridge local digital divide.

Taiwan: Questions to Presidential Candidates

  13 February 2008

With the upcoming presidential election in Taiwan on March 22nd, televised debates will be held on February 24th and March 9th.  Following the Youtube example in the United States, at the first debate, two presidential candidates will answer 20 video questions selected from Peopo website[zh].  Voters in Taiwan are welcomed to make their own 30-second...

Taiwan: 2007 Taiwan Pride Parade

  19 October 2007

On October 13th, the fifth Taiwan Pride Parade took place in the eastern district of Taipei. Close to fifteen thousand people joined in this activity. The theme this year is “Rainbow Power.” Participants are divided into seven groups, wearing and holding seven different colors to form a huge rainbow on...

Macau: Gone with Development

  4 September 2007

The world's largest casino, $2.4 billion Venetian Macau Resort, opened on August 28th. Along with numerous development projects, Macao is just like a huge construction site now. Some people are worried that natural and cultural beauty will be sacrificed for the sake of urban development. Manfaiw laments(zh): “In the future,...

Taiwan: The Gentrification of Shih-Da night market

  22 August 2007

Shih-Da night market is one of the most famous night markets in Taipei. (“Shih-Da”(師大) is the abbreviation of National Taiwan Normal University(國立台灣師範大學) in Chinese. The night market is right next to the university.) Its own exotic character is quite different from other night markets. This is because, for decades, many...

Taiwan: What's Next After Wikimania 2007?

  11 August 2007

Wikimania 2007 at Taipei ended on August 5th. To members promoting Mediawiki in Taiwan, this international conference is a wonderful opportunity for exchanging ideas. Among organizers and contributors, we can find five IT-related research institutes in Taiwan...